Madam Speaker, I rise to table a petition on behalf of Denman, Hornby and Lasqueti islanders, as well as residents of Qualicum Beach, Parksville and Courtenay. They are calling on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to suspend the 2020 Salish Sea herring fishery until a whole-of-ecosystem plan is in place, to fairly compensate local fishers for economic losses they might incur and to ensure decisions are made with the full participation of first nations and local communities.
The petitioners are highlighting that Pacific herring is the basis of the food web that supports Pacific wild salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, sea birds and other interdependent species on the Pacific coast. The reason they are concerned is that herring dropped approximately one-third between 2016 and 2019. The unexpected drop in herring in 2019 was due to overfishing.
The petitioners are calling on the government to take action. I brought this issue up with the minister just yesterday.